The index for finished energy goods climbed 8.0 percent in August, the largest monthly increase since a 10.2-percent rise in November 2007. About eighty-five percent of the August advance can be attributed to higher gasoline prices, which surged 23.0 percent.

Prices for finished consumer foods moved up 0.4 percent in August following a 1.5-percent decline in July. Almost half of this increase can be attributed to higher prices for fresh fruits and melons, which rose 5.9 percent.

Prices for finished goods less foods and energy rose 0.2 percent in August after edging down 0.1 percent a month earlier.

From August 2008 to August 2009, prices for finished goods fell 4.3 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Producer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Producer Price Indexes — August 2009" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL 09-1123. All producer price indexes are routinely subject to revision once, 4 months after original publication, to reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.